“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Arthur Conan Doyle
Overview
Murder is Game Over: Streaming Death is the thrilling new sequel to Murder is Game Over, following the same detective protagonist (Guy) and his dog Cleo to create an intriguing duet of pixel art point-and-click murder mysteries!
Developer: HitherYon Games
Released: 18th July 2023
Price: £3.99 – £4.29
Narrative
Murder is Game Over: Streaming Death begins with the death of an influential streamer in a village on a remote Massachusetts peninsula. As detective duo Guy and Cleo progress their investigation they discover the ghost of Elias Abel, who was hanged in the 1600s, has been haunting the village. It is up to the player to determine the cause of death; was it supernatural, or is there a living, breathing killer on the loose?
Gameplay
The investigation is the key objective in Murder is Game Over: Streaming Death, and the main mechanic is the ability to switch between playing as Guy or Cleo depending on the task at hand. Cleo can sniff out clues that a human would be unable to detect and Guy can talk to each of the eight suspects and interrogate them about events and evidence that has been found. There is a detailed map available as well as hints to help players along the way. There is a lot of information to keep track of, luckily a list of clues and suspects can be found in the case file.
The game also features doggy bags to find and collect, and some fun achievements (depending on the platform) which add an extra layer of fun to the experience. The latter half of the game, set at night time, also sees the player being chased through different areas by Elias Abel, escaping only by entering a new section of the map. This can get a bit tricky but does come with both easy and hard difficulty options. Getting caught by Elias will return the player to an earlier section of the map. There are multiple save slots available and the player is encouraged to utilise this during the chase section. Players can opt to use keyboard and/or mouse controls.
Styling
Murder is Game Over: Streaming Death has very retro styling with its 2D pixel art and electronic soundtrack. The artwork has a nice level of detail and uses moody, muted colour palettes with occasional pops of colour and atmospheric lighting. There are a range of environments and settings from the Puritan era ruins, the high street, and the residential areas all are well-designed and a pleasure to explore, especially the many buildings that can be searched. The character art, both in-game and in dialogue boxes is a particular highlight, the former is very cute and the latter has more detail adding to the level of characterisation. There is a lot of variety in the music and whether spooky, tense or more laid back, it always fits the scene and storyline perfectly creating a very immersive effect.
Summary
Murder is Game Over: Streaming Death will take around 2-3 hours to play. It is a fantastic example of a murder mystery game and can be enjoyed as a sequel or as a standalone game. The story is gripping, well constructed and delivered at a nice pace, building suspense and intrigue as new information is gradually revealed through fun exploratory and investigative gameplay. The various suspects and supernatural goings on, as well as the various motives, mean there is plenty of misdirection to keep players on their toes and the retro styling does a great job of conveying the mysterious story, despite how charming it actually is! In my opinion, the game is low-priced for the experience it offers and I am more than happy to recommend it to fans of the murder mystery and point-and-click genres.
If you like detective games you might also enjoy:
The Darkside Detective – Karisvale – Playing Sci-fi Detective in 2000:1: A Space Felony
